"Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war." – John Adams
iv.
Infinite hated a lot of things.
Relying on others, displaying weakness – repulsive.
Needles, medicines – untrustworthy, discomforting, reminders of times best forgotten.
The cold – an obvious one; he was a jackal. Their species had a natural aversion to lower temperatures. Regardless of whatever Eggman had tampered with in his DNA his displeasure toward chill weather remained.
Confined spaces – much akin to needles, reminders of the past. Small areas made him feel trapped.
Being called short, or small - …no, he wasn't insecure about his height; about being undersized for his kind. Not at all.
The list could go on, but goddamn, in this moment he had to say he hated silence the most.
Silence was usually not something that bothered the jackal. There were definitely exceptions; the times where it was dangerous, where he was left alone with only the wretched voices in his head to taunt and degrade him and he had no way to block it out, the times it felt suffocating, even. But, for the most part, he actually tended to enjoy it, using the undisturbed periods of calm to meticulously work through his thoughts like untangling a bunch of mixed yarn balls one string at a time.
Today, unfortunately, was not one of those days, and frankly he swore he was going to go mad if even just another minute passed without so much as a single fucking word spoken.
It had been several days since the incident now, and slowly but surely Infinite was recovering again, with the aid of those "painkillers"… though the process of administering them was still something that made him greatly uncomfortable. The wolf, Gadget, still seemed to feel particularly guilty about the whole ordeal. Whenever he was on shift, he had been bringing him extra food, trying to talk to him more… it was irritating, but Infinite would take him and his blathering over some of the other loathsome resistance folk he'd been forced to put up with. Especially at this current moment.
In the chair beside him this afternoon sat a black and red hedgehog he vaguely knew as Shadow. And he was… quiet.
Now, as previously established, generally Infinite liked quiet, but this was a kind of quiet that unnerved him and he wasn't quite certain as to why.
Striped arms folded across a fluffy white chest, one leg crossed over the other. Crimson eyes, sharp, piercing. They fixated on Infinite, as if studying him, analysing him, and it was just… discomforting. The jackal fidgeted.
I get it, I'm an eyesore. Quit fucking gawking.
Yeah, sure, he was used to being stared at by the others too. Must be hard for them not to… But this was different somehow. He met Shadow's scrutinising, but otherwise unreadable look with a heavy stare of his own, narrowing his gaze back at him as though in challenge.
Shadow's expression didn't change.
Infinite lightly ground his teeth, glaring harder.
Shadow's expression still didn't change.
Neither blinked.
…
Infinite's eyes grew dry.
His lids twitched.
Shadow, on the other hand, was motionless as a statue. It was almost a bit creepy.
He squinted, desperately trying to resist instinct.
Don't give him the satisfaction, don't give him the satisfaction, don't give hi –
"So you're Infinite."
He blinked.
Shit!
Infinite hadn't expected Shadow to speak first.
And, even if he had, Infinite also wouldn't have expected he'd just state the blatantly obvious.
"Oh, I am?" He raised a brow, the sarcasm rolling right off his tongue, "I had no idea."
Shadow didn't seem phased.
…
Was that it? Was he just going to point out a damn fact and then nothing more? What the hell was this guy playing at?
Infinite's fingers curled.
His tail, dangling over one side of the bed, flicked in agitation.
Several heartbeats passed.
"I didn't know what to expect when I came in today," The hedgehog then spoke again, so calmly, as if he hadn't even noticed the jackal's growing anger whatsoever, "You're less aggressive that I would have anticipated."
"Is that so? I'll show you aggressive if that's what you want." He sneered. Infinite was tired, he was sore, and this bastard was pressing each and every one of his buttons.
Infuriatingly, Shadow, once again, didn't seem phased.
"Right. And how do you plan to assert yourself sitting in a hospital bed?"
Hot rage bubbled in Infinite's gut, and he curled his lip back in a snarl. The absolute nerve…!
"Are you fucking trying to provoke me?!"
Shadow shook his head, his mannerisms reeking of indifference no matter how pissed off the jackal became. "No. I'm just asking you a question."
Muscles stiffened as Infinite resisted the urge to lunge.
Deep breaths.
Deep. Fucking. Breaths.
"You'd be wise to not underestimate me, vermin."
"Tch. Who said anything about underestimating you? I don't underestimate you. You caused a lot of problems, and that's putting it real damn lightly… If any of us underestimated you, you wouldn't be locked up in this room and under twenty-four hour observation."
Infinite exhaled in an irritated huff.
He would not admit this bothersome sewer rat had a point.
"…What the hell ever."
A pause.
"…Speaking of which, how long is this going to go on? Are you keeping me here 'til I rot?"
The hedgehog snorted softly. "Well, actually, I was asked to discuss that with you. By Gadget, specifically. He insisted we ought to be keeping you in the loop from now on."
...Huh? Gadget had requested they share their plans with him? That was…
Considerate. He supposed. Not like he was going to go out of his way to say thanks, but Infinite… appreciated it.
"And?"
"In short, we can't keep you here in this room much longer. Issues have begun to arise; other members of the resistance, the ones who don't know about you, are becoming suspicious. It's getting too risky. We also need all the space we can get for other patients… even a single bed counts and you're recovering pretty well. However, you surely know we can't just let you go either."
Infinite sighed, rolling his eyes. "Obviously. What's your plan, then?"
Shadow shrugged. "Varies depending on your behaviour. We decided as follows… Plan A; if you cause any trouble, you're going straight into a cell in the basement where it's more secure and there's less chance of you being discovered. It's cold, it's dark, and you won't like it. That's not a threat – it's a promise."
"Wonderful." Infinite deadpanned.
"I'm not finished. Plan B; should you prove you can manage to control that temper of yours, you'll be discharged into a new accommodation and remain confined there until further notice. It'll be considerably more comfortable than the first option, so be smart about this. You have a week to decide what you prefer and act accordingly. However," The hedgehog continued, "We do have to take precautions no matter what happens next. So today you'll be fitted with inhibitor rings."
Well that was a mouthful.
The jackal wrinkled his snout as he processed all this information, deciding to ignore the comment on his temper for now. He most certainly did not have anger issues. Everything and everyone else was just incredibly annoying.
What new accommodation?
And what were inhibitor rings…? He must have looked confused, as Shadow tapped one of the golden rings secured around his wrists, explaining without prompt,
"That's what these things are. In short, as the name implies they'll inhibit you from using your powers. But they won't actually drain or alter the balance of energy in your body, so it doesn't hurt. Think of it like a cap – you still have that energy within, they just prevent you from releasing it. If we couldn't remove your ruby we figured it was the next best thing. Tails – the fox kid, if you didn't know – is bringing by a pair shortly. I suggest you don't fight it when the time comes to put them on you."
Hm… he supposed that made sense.
Briefly Infinite wondered why Shadow himself would have such things, but his attention was more seized by the fact he was going to lose his powers.
Fuck… there went any slim chance of regaining his former glory.
Though oddly, he... didn't feel too disappointed…?
The prospect of being rendered powerless was intimidating; he'd been accustomed to having these abilities for almost as long as he could remember, to the point he almost wondered if he'd even be himself without them. But after all - what was even the point anymore? Why bother trying to destroy again? Eggman was gone, screwed off to god-knows-where; the primary reason he did all that crap was simply because the man commanded it, it was the very purpose of his existence. He already failed in that purpose once.
And as for the other reason… well, what good would it do? Ha… He knew deep down whether he wanted to accept it or not, that hurting others, in the end, wouldn't take away his own pain, nor would it bring them ba-
Infinite stopped his train of thought there.
Back to the discussion at hand.
"I see… I suppose I should have expected nothing less. Do as you will. I don't care."
If Shadow was surprised by his compliance, he didn't show it. He simply gave a curt nod. "Once they're on, you won't be able to take them off again. And they're indestructible, so if you ever think to try anything... don't bother."
"I figured as much."
Infinite bit his lip, and his brows furrowed in thought.
That was one of his questions answered, but what about…?
"Should we end up going with Plan B… where will you have me stay?"
"Gadget was the first – and only – volunteer to keep an eye on you. And we thought it seemed fitting, anyway, given he was the one to land us in this mess in the first place. So you'd stay with him at his apartment."
That wolf.
He should have known.
…
Infinite picked at one of his claws, a tic of his, as he realised he wasn't as repulsed by the idea as he thought he probably should be. Maybe he was just tired. Yeah. Tired. He still didn't like Gadget, not at all, but at the very least he could concede he was… moderately tolerable. There were definitely worse insects to be housemates with. And he'd certainly take it above a cell in a dingy old basement…
Ugh.
He was going to have to co-operate, wasn't he? As distasteful as the thought was, there was little choice unless he wanted to seal himself to the shittier fate.
A light knock at the door drew him from his thoughts.
"Come in." Shadow answered.
Long ears twitched as it creaked open agonisingly slowly.
Infinite sighed.
"Sometime today would be nice." He mumbled gruffly.
A deep inhale was heard on the other side, then a heavy exhale, as if someone was bracing themselves to dive right into ice cold water. "...Right. Sorry."
The apology didn't sound sincere.
A young, twin-tailed fox shuffled in, his two tails tucked between his legs slightly. His hands were quivering just a little, grip tight on the small, rectangular box he carried, but whether out of fear or anger, one could not be so certain; the body language with his tails indicated the former, but the steely, determined expression on his face indicated the latter. There was fire behind those eyes.
Infinite had probably traumatised him - stealing Sonic away before his eyes, leaving him in the dark as to if Sonic was even alive. It was unsurprising that his presence up close would elicit... not so positive reactions.
The jackal rolled his eyes. This was almost painful to watch. Almost.
"I'm not going to bite your head off, kid."
The fox kit gave a few blinks when being addressed directly. He looked at Infinite and swallowed. "Like I'd let you."
"That so, huh?"
Shadow shot him a warning glance.
Tails tensed. He frowned.
"Yeah, you heard me. I'm not afraid of you anymore, Infinite."
"Oh?" Infinite cocked his head, feigning curiosity. "How come? Because your rodent friends will protect you even if I wanted to hurt you?"
"That's enou-" Shadow began to interject, before Tails cut him off, his fur puffing up, scowl hardening,
"No. No… that's not why."
Infinite blinked plainly. "Of course not. My mistake."
The kit growled at him.
"Alright, listen. I may be a kid, but I don't need to cower in the shadows of others, and I don't need to be rescued. Especially not from the likes of people like you. Me and my friends are a team, and if you do hurt me or any of them ever again I'll… I'll…" His teeth grit, he glanced at Shadow as if searching for the right words, then back at Infinite, "I'll kick your ass."
…
Oh my god. Oh? My god? Was this little runt trying to intimidate him?
Infinite snorted before he could stop himself, and Shadow in the chair beside him sounded like he'd just choked on his own spit. It was the most emotive the jackal had ever seen - or rather heard - him.
"Hey, who… who the hell taught you to talk like that?!"
"By the sounds of it, you probably did…" Infinite smirked, tutting. "Tsk, tsk. What a bad influence you are to the children."
Shadow's quills bristled.
"Shut your mouth before I shut it for you."
"I'd love to see you try."
"That a challenge, jackal?"
"...Guys."
"Why yes, it is; and one you're sure to lose."
"I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you."
"Guys!"
Infinite and Shadow turned their heads to Tails as he huffed, his raised fur gradually settling again.
"Chill."
"Coming from the person that just told me they'd kick my ass." Infinite remarked.
"You had that coming." Tails shrugged. "But now we're just bickering and it's pointless."
Shadow grunted. "You're right," he regarded Infinite with a disapproving glance, "about both things. Ok, let's just get on with it. But Tails?"
"Yeah?"
"Swearing is all good, and I don't plan on scolding you, but don't ever go around saying fuck in front of Sonic or he'll have my head on a stick."
"Good, cause I'm not sorry. But I won't. Promise."
Shadow gave the faintest hint of a smirk. "Good."
"What happened to getting on with it?" Infinite grumbled.
Tails rolled his eyes. "Yeesh, so impatient... right. Here."
The fox stepped forward as the atmosphere slowly eased, placing down the box he was still holding onto the bed and removing the lid to reveal two silver inhibitor rings. "These should do the trick if all my calculations were correct. Shadow, do you wanna put them on him, or should I?"
Infinite peered into the box. The rings shone as they were exposed to the fluorescent light of the room.
"I'll do it myself. Would prefer to keep my personal space just that - personal."
Shadow shrugged. "Fair enough."
Taking them out one at a time, the jackal stared quietly at their gleaming surfaces for a short moment. There was no going back once these things were on...
But he bit the bullet.
Getting them on by himself was a little awkward, as he had to do each with only one hand, but he absolutely did not require help and soon enough they were firmly locked in place around both of his wrists. Despite being rather chunky, they didn't feel as heavy as he thought they were going to. The metal – or, whatever material they were made of – was a bit cold, but overall, not too discomforting.
He could live with this.
Don't think about how you just got rid of your powers.
Don't think about how much weaker you are now.
Just don't think about it.
It was going to be fine.
"Looks like you're all set…" Tails spoke, breaking the brief silence and forcing Infinite to focus, "Over the course of the upcoming days 'til we've decided what we're doing with you, we'll run some tests just to make completely sure they're functioning properly – doesn't hurt to double check these things."
Infinite bit his lip. Tests. He didn't like that word…
Brought back unpleasant memories.
"Tests…?"
The fox kit nodded. "Nothing painful. We just need you to try using your powers to make sure you really can't."
Thank god.
"Alright… makes sense."
"Just don't over-exert yourself. I'd assume your ruby is still recovering." Shadow advised.
Infinite scoffed a tad. "I'm not stupid."
"Never said you were. Anyway," The hedgehog glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall and began to slowly push out of his chair, stretching, "With that out of the way I think it's about time for lunch. I'll go get you something, don't do anything dumb while I'm gone. C'mon Tails."
Shadow headed for the door, gesturing for Tails to follow along.
"Let me guess… soup again?"
"Maybe with some bread and cheese if you quit whining."
"Asshole."
"Takes one to know one."
Tails poorly attempted to muffle a snort at the exchange between the pair, him and Shadow exiting the room and naturally, locking the door behind them, leaving the jackal by himself.
"…Touché, hedgehog. Touché."
And so, just like that the next seven days came and went. Seven dull, boring, resentful days of reluctantly complying with the demands of the damned resistance fools just so that he wouldn't end up locked in a dank basement.
Over this time period Infinite regained more of his stability, undergoing the tests as had been planned, and on the final day where his fate was to be decided, it was revealed that they were going ahead with Plan B; he had went along with everything and behaved just acceptably enough that he was going to live with Gadget.
The wolf had showed up early in the morning, offering him a small, awkward smile as he placed down two plastic bags by the side of the jackal's bed with a soft rustle.
"Uh… hey."
A blue eye cracked open.
"Ugh. Morning."
Infinite parted his jaws in a yawn, sitting up in bed groggily. For once, he had slept in a bit, though the dark bags under his eyes remained strong as ever regardless of the extra hours he'd fitted in. He eyed Gadget up and down as he loosely ran a hand through his messy hair, then shifted his gaze to the bags. "What's with all the junk?"
Gadget rolled his eyes. "Not junk. It's clothes."
The jackal quirked a brow. "Clothes?"
A nod. "Yeah. Me and the others had a meeting last night and uh, well – ok, I'll get right to the point. We decided on Plan B, so… you're gonna be moving in with me."
"You don't seem too enthusiastic."
Gadget sighed.
"Would you be in my position?"
"Guess not. Why'd you sign yourself up for this then?"
The wolf hummed, hesitating. "Well... It felt like my responsibility. And nobody else volunteered anyway."
"You could've just let them go with Plan A. Wouldn't that have been a more fitting punishment for someone like me?"
"If…" Gadget paused, seeming to be searching for the right words. "Maybe. Maybe you're right. But… if we locked you up then you wouldn't get the chance to try and change. And I think… even you deserve that. And besides, once the public know about you, we do plan to have you doing plenty of reconstruction work alongside everyone else, so you're not getting off scot-free."
...
The wolf thought he deserved a chance?
What? Why?
Why the fuck would anyone in their right mind give a war criminal like him a second chance? As far as Infinite was concerned, it was stupid, naïve, and outright nonsensical. So that's what he said.
"That's stupid, naïve, and outright nonsensical."
Gadget chuckled wearily. "Probably."
Infinite frowned.
"I've caused countless injuries, deaths, and trauma."
"I know."
"I tried to destroy the whole fucking lot of you."
"I know."
"So why the hell do you think I deserve a second chance?!"
"Because… because I think… nobody is inherently evil, and everyone can change; if they just try."
Infinite scoffed. "You'll get yourself torn apart with that mindset. Not everybody wants to change."
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
Gadget leant against the wall, propping a foot against it. "Where do you fall? Do you want to change?"
Infinite found himself discomforted by the question. He fisted at the bedcovers.
"…Let's drop this topic. None of this still answers why you brought me clothes."
People like me can't change.
It's meaningless to try.
I don't deserve to get to try, even if I wanted to.
I don't want to. Do I?
Gadget looked like he wanted to persist and push the discussion, but didn't. He sighed.
"Right. Getting you out of here and through town unrecognized isn't exactly going to be easy. I'll be taking the rear exit and we'll go down as many quiet routes as possible, but still… so that's where I figured a wardrobe change might come in handy."
He hadn't really considered how they'd actually get him from point A to point B… he'd assumed some kind of armored vehicle or something, but they were just going to go on foot? Well… transport like that would have drawn attention, so even if this way was oddly risky for the resistance – trusting him not to run off when only one person is with him – it was more inconspicuous. Gadget's logic also made good sense. In his old attire he'd be recognized by any civilians or other resistance folk immediately, and he didn't exactly want to travel around stark naked.
Infinite stretched and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, leaning down to dip into the bags with curiosity. He started pulling things out.
Loose, long white tank top. Black leather jacket, ¾ sleeved with cuffs at the end, two inside pockets and several outside ones, with silver zippers and studded shoulders. Ripped jeans, also black. White and black boots, tall, with red laces. Sitting at the very bottom were some socks, a pair of fingerless white gloves and black elastic bands for his hair… and, wait… his scarf?
He assessed it with a bit of surprise.
"…Oh! Yeah, I almost forgot – your scarf. We can't really let you keep anything else from your old outfit, but I convinced the others to allow you to have that." Gadget informed, idly tugging at the strap for his utility belt.
"Figured." Infinite paused briefly then tilted his head in confusion. "Er… you didn't have to do that, you know."
"I know. But I wanted to."
"Why…?"
"Just did, I guess." The wolf shrugged, as if he didn't even need a reason.
Infinite was lost. To do a thoughtful deed, just for the sake of it... why do something to gain nothing? And for someone like him? The very same person who had tried to obliterate the entire fucking planet?
He couldn't understand.
He just couldn't understand.
Noticing his sudden silence, Gadget seemed to grow concerned. "You ok?"
"You're... peculiar. I don't get why you would do that when you get nothing in return. But then, I guess that I…" He hesitated, not meeting Gadget's eyes and lowering his voice. "…I acknowledge the thought. Don't worry about everything else. Wasn't really attached to any of it."
Gadget blinked, evidently caught off guard by the jackal's attempted form of gratitude; his words seemed to hold appreciation, even if they were reluctant and awkward. He smiled slowly.
"Don't mention it. Sorry if the clothes don't fit well, though… we don't exactly have the luxury of just going to a mall anymore, and I don't know your exact size. It's actually really old stuff I outgrew like, years ago. Dunno why on earth I kept it all, but I'm glad it's come in handy. Even if it's in a reeeally unexpected way, haha…"
Interesting. These were once the wolf's own clothes? Hard to imagine him in them. Though Infinite had to admit, he had good aesthetic choice. The colours all fit together well and the general "rough" style seemed right up his own street. He had no complaints.
"You dressed like this?"
For perhaps the first time, Gadget looked a bit amused.
"You seem surprised. But yeah, I did - still kinda do, actually … During the war I just had to be more practical in my fashion choices, y'know? I'll show you my closet if you don't believe me. And my piercings."
Infinite cocked his head as he slid out of bed, preparing to get himself dressed. "Piercings…?"
"You'll see."
Over the past few days, the jackal had stood up once or twice while going through the motions of his tests; supervised by Shadow and Tails, sometimes others. Or to be escorted to the bathroom… Though, after being bedridden the majority of the time for so long since his arrival at the base, he still felt a bit wobbly on his feet, not so accustomed to moving around much.
He decided to start with the jeans, but as he lifted one leg and began to try and put them on, Infinite quickly realised he should have done this while remaining sitting down.
Shit.
Shitshitshit-
Balance was lost on the other as it failed to support his entire body weight and he began to topple over. The ground drew closer at a rapid speed and he closed his eyes, bracing for an impact – that never came.
Gadget had caught him.
Heart thumping from the sudden adrenaline rush of nearly smashing headfirst against the tiled floor, Infinite took a moment to regain his bearings, then looked up to find the wolf's face mere inches from his own. Becoming acutely aware of their proximity and the unfamiliar sensation of arms around him, he abruptly tensed.
He was being touched. Someone was - someone was touching him, hands on his body, close, way too close, get off -
"I, um, er – shit, sorry…! When I saw you falling I just…"
Get off, get off, stop touching me -
He shoved the wolf in a moment of blind instinct, Gadget making a startled noise, letting go and stumbling a bit while Infinite staggered backward, still half stuck in his jeans and promptly landing on his ass.
Ow, shit, damnit.
"Hey, what was that for?" Gadget stared down at him, bewildered, "I was just trying to help you!"
"I don't want - I don't need your help! Don't..." Infinite breathed unevenly, "Just, don't touch me."
Gadget was silent for a moment. Infinite expected him to ask why, but then he simply said, "I'm sorry."
Slightly taken aback but not wanting to show it, Infinite forced a grumble.
"You should be..."
Thoroughly ashamed of his clumsy display and feeling extremely uncomfortable after the situation that had resulted from it, the jackal slowly stood again and decided to try once more to get the jeans on, this time with increased caution. Sensing Gadget's eyes on him, however, he huffed softly. He wasn't sure why but being watched as he got dressed made him feel funny.
"Hey, do you mind…" He trailed off, making a circular motion with one finger.
"Sorry! Yeah, yeah, sure!"
Gadget's tan muzzle flushed awkwardly as he obliged and turned to face the wall while the jackal shimmied into his jeans - and then, naturally, the rest of his clothing. While everything fit well enough, he'd never worn a shirt or pants before… it was odd. He especially didn't like how the vest felt against his ruby and it made the fabric jut out pretty unattractively. Infinite began to claw at the area irritatedly, ripping a hole into it for the gem to poke through. At the sound of tearing material, the wolf's ears twitched and he shifted uneasily.
"Uhhh, what are you doing?"
"Making this outfit better."
"…You're shredding a hole in the shirt aren't you?"
"Maybe."
Gadget groaned, exasperated. "Ugh, alright. But you're still gonna have to zip up the jacket over the ruby to hide it until we're safe at my place."
"No shit. …Alright, you can turn around. I'm done."
Infinite was tugging up the zipper on the jacket as Gadget did just that, and then he adorned his scarf and began to tie up his hair, starting with a loose ponytail and then adding another band several inches below the first.
"Hm…" Gadget hummed, sweeping his eyes up and down over Infinite, "Looks good. If I didn't know you were Infinite, I'd just think you were any other jackal. The jacket sticking out 'cause of that gem of yours is a biiiit suspicious, but it's the best we can do. You… ready to set out? Think you'll be able to walk alright?"
"Ready as I'll ever be… honestly, I can't wait to get out of this fucking room. And I'll be fine. You worry too much, wolf."
Gadget chuckled a little. "Perhaps. Alright, let's go. Stick close. And, I probably don't need to warn you but… don't try and run off."
"Don't plan on it. I know I'd be caught, and besides…" He shook his head with a mutter. "I have nowhere to go."
Gadget nodded as he headed for the door, Infinite following behind. "Good." He peered out into the hall. "We're in the clear. Let's make this quick as we can. Follow me."
Their footsteps reverberated in the empty corridors as the two made their way to the lesser used back exit of the base. Infinite could only trail along blindly, his senses on high alert. It was kind of strange, to be sneaking around with Gadget like the wolf was an intruder among his own group.
At last, Gadget and Infinite reached the fortified door, a green exit sign dimly flickering above it. Gadget unlocked it in several places, which Infinite though was somewhat excessive, and together, they emerged into a narrow alleyway.
When the light hit his face, he immediately winced. The sky was a vibrant, brilliant blue, with few clouds drifting by to allow for the sun to freely cast it's warm, luminescent rays down onto the city; and into Infinite's eyes. Several flickies soared above, chirping birdsong as below, a pintsized jackal hissed and brought his hand up to his forehead to shield his vision. As he glanced over at Gadget, he couldn't tell whether that hint of a smile was sympathetic or entertained.
"Been a while since you've had natural daylight, right?"
"Mm…" Infinite grumbled discontentedly.
"C'mon vampire, before you start disintegrating. My place is this way."
Vampire? Disintegrating?
Before he had the chance to ask what on earth Gadget was talking about, the wolf had begun swiftly leading him to his home.
Gadget's abode was small; a simple Park Avenue apartment, intended for one person. When the two finally piled in, Gadget locking the front door behind him, he began a tour that was over as quickly as it started given the place was so compact. Infinite followed him down the short, narrow hall, shrugging off his jacket as he did so and tossing it to the floor where several hoodies laid in an unkempt heap.
"Ok, so… here's the lounge. I have a TV but uh, they're still working on restoring signals. So I just use it to play video games!"
The wolf chattered away, possibly trying to fill the silence as he gestured around the cosy living space, and Infinite glanced around with mild curiosity, adjusting to what would now be his accommodation too.
The lounge was nothing fancy; the small TV Gadget had mentioned was nestled on a stand in one corner, with a two-seater couch facing it and a rather saggy looking beanbag, then a coffee table adjacent to that with some empty food packets and cans branded "chaos cola". There was also a rather outdated looking console with two controllers, and a few disks strewn haphazardly on the floor, where a fluffy white rug resided. At least, Infinite thought it was probably supposed to be white… And finally, a few shelves hung on the wall by the window, housing various odd little knick-knacks and some kind of weird rocket-shaped lamp.
It was very… lived in.
"There's the balcony just out there," Gadget gestured to a sliding glass door, "Then there's the kitchen, um, excuse the mess…"
Infinite shrugged. He wasn't really good with conversation - nor did he really care to engage - leaving Gadget to carry it himself.
Rather than being a separate room entirely, the kitchen was segregated from the lounge by a small counter island, keeping the main space very open to give the illusion of there being more room than there truly was. Like the lounge, it was an odd mix of minimalist yet cluttered. A box of cereal had been left out on the counter top, along with a half-eaten bowl of said cereal that must have been the wolf's breakfast. There were a few cupboards on the wall, a microwave wedged neatly in the space beneath one of them, and other mundane things such as a coffeemaker, breadbin… just some essentials. The fridge sat in one corner while the stove, as well as a washer and dryer were… pretty much just where you'd generally expect them to be.
Suddenly, it looked like a light bulb had gone off above Gadget's head. He'd been blabbering on so much the jackal had very nearly drowned him out.
"…Oh! Do you actually want something to eat…? You didn't have anything back at the base this morning."
Infinite was about to shake his head before his stomach growled, and he glanced away in embarrassment. "…I suppose that'd be a good idea."
Gadget smiled a little and nodded. "Ok! Tell you what, why don't you finish exploring by yourself, while I face this mountain of dirty dishes so you can have a clean bowl."
And so, he did.
Leaving Gadget to do the washing up, he poked around the last several rooms of the apartment; these ones of which were all entirely their own space.
The first door he opened had revealed a closet.
The second was a bathroom; toilet, shower and bath combo, sink, some toiletries – not much to see there.
The third was what was very obviously Gadget's room, even more lived in than the lounge with a bunch of clothes discarded everywhere, more snack wrappers and empty bottles and cans that needed disposal, and the usual bedroom stuff; the bed itself, not made, a small nightstand, a chest of drawers and wardrobe. There were quite a few plants, mostly cacti and succulents, and some stuff on the walls; a mirror, a bunch of posters, shelves with some miscellaneous books on, and some picture frames.
Infinite peered at them.
There was one of a couple of older wolves, likely his parents. Another had Gadget standing beside a wolf that looked exactly like him aside from having teal fur instead of red; a twin brother? Huh. He absent-mindedly wondered where Gadget's family were…
Before he realised the obvious.
They were probably dead.
Dead because of the war.
Dead because of him.
...
Suddenly, Infinite didn't feel so well.
From the kitchen, he could hear Gadget softly humming along to the clatter of plates as if nothing was wrong. As if he wasn't harboring the person who tore his family apart.
Why?
He didn't always feel like this.
Why did he feel like this?
Why now?
Why did he feel like this?
Why did he feel like this?
Why did he feel like this?
Why did he feel like this?
Why did he feel like this?
Infinite had to get out of this room, had to get away, feeling invisible hands reaching down his throat to steal his breath.
He left the room and slammed the door behind him.
Gadget's humming stopped.
"Infinite? Is everything ok?"
The concern in his voice made Infinite want to vomit.
I took away so much from you.
Your family.
Your friends.
Your ordinary life before all this.
I tried to destroy this entire fucking planet and yet you worry about me.
Why?
Why?
I don't understand, I don't fucking understand-
"It's nothing," He forced, "Nothing at all."
There was a brief pause.
Infinite's chest pounded painfully as he tried to regain his bearings after this completely unexpected surge of remorse.
Please don't ask what's wrong, please don't ask what's wrong, please-
"…Well, alright. Er, get settled in your room if you like, it's the one right next to mine! It used to be for guests but I, um, I never really had any… though, I'm sorry there's no actual bed. Maybe that's why nobody visited, haha. I'm almost done with the dishes!"
Right. Right, a distraction.
That's what he needs.
And so the forth door Infinite opened was to the guest room.
His room.
It didn't feel like he had the right to claim it.
Trying desperately to push back his thoughts, he surveyed the space.
It was pretty much the same size as Gadget's, though quite empty and lifeless.
Perfect for a monster like him.
A mattress sat on the floor in front of another TV on a low rectangular stand, this one an old box-like one, with a trash can beside it. On the other side of the room was a chest of drawers like the one Gadget had, and on the wall above it hung a large resistance flag. The only light source was the window with the blinds currently halfway closed, and the overhead lamp which doubled as a ceiling fan, currently turned off.
Infinite took off his boots, and then settled himself on the mattress, attempting vainly not to focus on the feelings of "I don't belong here" and "Wow, I'm an absolute disgrace". It was surprisingly plush. He pressed his back to the wall and brought his knees to his chest.
He waited for his breakfast.
...
...
Infinite really, really hated silence.
Notes: OH FUCK ITS BEEN WELL OVER A MONTH AGAIN HAH A SWEATS;;;;; HEY GUYS !
er-
so-
...yeeea i have no good excuse really? im mentally ill in like 4 different ways nd that makes it hard for me to work but i dont feel thats a valid reason for me to take so long. H.
anyway! its an update! as usual im never fully satisfied with my work but theres parts i really do like and its also longer than my usual so ! i hope you enjoy! i also hope nobody minds that this chapter is fully infinite pv ?
EDIT (16/4/19): did some editing and tweaking! tried to make in particular tails' section better bc hes REALLY hard for me to write idkw. i want to show hes not a coward bc that one part w chaos in forces... this aint it chief. i also forgot last time to mention gadget has a balcony so i threw it in now as its where a very important scene is gonna take place later!
EDIT (15/06/19): more edits have been made for improvement of characterisation and general quality!
